Casino Intrigue Builds On Beacon Hill
Don’t be fooled by all the talk from our top state leaders that the gambling debate is on the back burner until the fall.
The biggest casino companies in the world are busy scouting out the state for development sites, talking up lawmakers and state officials, and hiring high-powered lobbying firms.
Suffice it to say, Beacon Hill is abuzz with gambling talk and intrigue during these seemingly innocent, lazy days of early summer.
It is a story I first broke in my weekly column for Banker & Tradesman on May 4. The Globe has also done a pretty extensive story as well, looking at some of the lobbying hires made by some of these Las Vegas high rollers.
As the summer rolls on, I’ll keep you up to date on some of the background maneuvering going on.
For those in the development and construction business, where these projects go and who builds them matters a great deal. At stake are literally billions in new business.
Here are some extra details to start chewing on:
• Mohegan Sun has hired O’Neill Associates, the lobbying and public relations firm founded by former Lt. Gov. Thomas P. O’Neill
• Development Associates, a casino building arm of Steve Wynn’s gambling empire, has brought on board ML Strategies, whose big guns include former state economic development chief Steve Tocco.
• Nevada gaming power Station Casinos is said to have joined the hunt. The firm has competition, with Boyd Gaming, Penn National, Harrah’s Entertainment and Las Vegas Sands all actively scouting or believed to be interested in Massachusetts.